Data, Insight & Analysis

Annual Update: Population

Metro Houston added 91,689 residents in ’18, a 1.3 percent increase, to reach a total population of 6,997,384 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Houston had the third largest gain of any U.S. metro area. The Dallas-Fort Worth metro led the nation in population growth adding 131,767 residents, a 1.8 percent increase from the year before. Metro Phoenix came in second, adding 96,268 residents, a 2.0 percent increase from ’17. Houston maintained its position as the fifth largest U.S. metro area.

The metro area grew from the combined effects of the net natural increase (i.e., more births than deaths) and net in-migration (i.e., more people moving in than out).[1] Last year, Houston added 229 new residents every day as a result of:

35,397 residents from net in-migration (44,535 from around the world and a loss of 9,138 from across the U.S.)

HOUSTON METRO POPULATION CHANGE BY COUNTY, 7/1/17 to 7/1/18

County

2018 Population

2017 Population

# Change

% Change

Austin

29,989

29,757

232

0.8

Brazoria

370,200

362,700

7,500

2.1

Chambers

42,454

41,399

1,055

2.5

Fort Bend

787,858

766,136

21,722

2.8

Galveston

337,890

334,304

3,586

1.1

Harris

4,698,619

4,664,159

34,460

0.7

Liberty

86,323

83,809

2,514

3.0

Montgomery

590,925

572,146

18,779

3.3

Waller

53,126

51,285

1,841

3.6

Total

6,997,384

6,905,695

91,689

1.3

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates

Every Houston-area county experienced population growth in ’18. The majority of the growth occurred in suburban counties such as Liberty, Montgomery, Waller and Fort Bend. Harris County ranked third in the nation in overall growth adding 34,460 residents to total 4,698,619 or 67.1 percent of the metro population.